The Present Status of the Birds of Hawaii

Abstract

The great expanses of open ocean that separate the Hawaiian Islands from the major continental land masses of North America and Asia resulted in the evolution of a number of unique landbirds. Unfortunately, a higher percentage of species of birds have become extinct in Hawaii than in any other region of the world. Approximately 40 percent of the endemic Hawaiian birds are believed to be extinct, and 25 of the 60 birds in the 1968 list of "Rare and Endangered Birds of the United States" are Hawaiian ("Rare and Endangered Fish and Wildlife of the United States, 1968 edition," Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife, Washington, D. C.). Most of the native birds of Oahu have long been extinct, and few native landbirds are to be found on any of the main islands below 3,000 feet elevation. Three general groups of birds are found in Hawaii today: endemic, indigenous, and introduced.